Composition of matter for removing poison from tobacco smoke



Patented Sept. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE COLIPOSITION OF MATTER FOR REMOVING POISON FROM TOBACCO SMOKE Konstantin Skumburdis, Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany v No Drawing. Application June 1, 1938, Serial No.

211,271. In Germany April 19, 1938 8 Claims. (Cl. 131-207) As is well known, act ve silica gel is u ed for able for the reason, that, due to the higher heat removing poison from tobacco and tobacco smoke tone, temperatures occur which cause decompoas well as improving the taste of the smoke. Now, sitions of the tobacco smoke undesired with regard it has been fo t not all active Silica gels to the taste as well as to the health in such a manmay be used for this purpose, because the imher, that the tar products and empyreumatic oils 5 provements of the taste effected by the silica gel already present are increased and are not sufliare very different. Depen on the d a d the ciently adsorbed. Colorimetrical measurements composition of the smoke (cigarette smoke, cigar of the chloroform layer of the smoke of 20 cigasmoke, pipe smoke and the li e) certa n s ca ge s rettes or 4 cigars=about 20 g. of tobacco, passed 10 only, either of uniform colloidochemical nature or over 2 g. active silica gel of 30 caL/g. moist heat 10 as mixtures come into considerations wh els the first time and ofabout 18 to 20 cal./g. moist must possess exactly the properties described later heat the second time and received in 30 com. of on. only then eifects may be obtained by the use diluted sulphuric acid and 30 com. water, have of the sil ca el as adsorpti n e t Which, as far shown, that in the first case the contents of tar as the taste s Co c fi ce the expectations products and empyreumatic oils of the tobacco 15 of the smoker and which also take into considersmoke r b ut 25 t m as large as it t ation and prevent if possible the difierent infiusecond test. Due to the sudden high heat tone ences of the individual ingredients of the smoke at the first contact of the smoke with the first upon the organism which are far more complimentioned gel, films of the tar'products probably cated than generally is supposed. As far as the are formed on the upper surface of the gel which v 20 a y of the Present Perceptions is ce ed, render difiicult the further penetration into the it is of no importance W et e t e e i W ed gel capillaries, whereas, due to the high heat tone, into the tobacco itself, or is applied to the tobacco simultaneously an increased tar formation is smoke in form of a cartridge. favored.

The properties of the gel and the composition It has further been found, that gels having a 26 and the physical-chemical nature of the tobacco moist heat of 28 cal/g, decreasing downwardly smoke in consideration as well as the suitable muare effective for the adsorption of the following tual relation between these two factors are desmoke constituents: nicotine, pyridine, the other terminative alone. It has been found that the alkaloids of the nicotine group, alkylamines and 30 heat tone of the adsorbent (active silica gel) is pyroles, whereas gels having a moist heat of 15 30 decisive for the range of use of an active silica gel caL/g. increasing upwardly are effective for the for the adsorption of tobacco smoke, With the adsorption of the tar products and the empyreusmoke conditions (kind and moisture of the tomatic oils. The adsorption of ammonia and, as bacco, velocity of smoke and smoke volume per far as may be judged from the determinations,

puff, smoke temperature at the adsorbent etc.) of methyl alcohol remains uniformly distributed 35 continuing the same, the heat tone, integrated with all gels. The determinations of these ingrefrom the moist heat or heat of hydration or hudients were chemically, stalagmometrically or midification and the adsorption heat indicates the colorimetrically effected. limits of the range of use of a silica gel as adsorb- From the above mentioned results about the efing agent for the tobacco smoke. As, however, the fective range of use of a silica gel and their estab- 6 values for this heat tone areno absolute values, lishment, now the further important perception they may be obtained by comparative measurefollows, that for the adsorption of tobacco smoke, ments only. It has, however, been found, that in contradistinction to the hitherto known state of parallel to these the moist heat of the gels runs knowledge, not a simple kind of active silica gel is with regard to water and that then the values for uniformly to be used but mixtures of various gels 45 this moist heat represent a direct measure for the having a moist heat of 28 to 14 cal/g. are to be range of use of an active silica gel for the adsorpemployed. It is an absolutely wrong view to which tion of tobacco smoke in such a manner, that in the literature attention often has been directed fundamentally such silica gels only may be used by authoritative investigators, to make a single the moist heat of which with regard to water at certain ingredient of the smoke, i. e. mostly Mom 50 18 C. amounts to not more than 28 cal./g. and tine, responsible for the harmful effects of tonot less than 14 cal./g. for the gel of 0.5 to 1 mm. bacco smoke. The tar products, largely adsorbed average dried diameter at 125 C. up to the conby the gels having a high moist heat (up to stancy of weight. The use of active silica gelshav- 28 caL/g. strongly adsorbable substances menmg a moist heat of more than 28 caL/g. is unsuittioned above) as well as the empyreumatic oils 5 largely adsorbed by the gels having a lower moist heat (up to 14 cal./g.), exert intensive and harmful, different effects upon the human organism. While the first mentioned ingredients are noxious to the function of the heart and to the central nervous system, the latter ingredients are responsible for injuries of the respiratory organs and the formation of carzinomae. Moreover, the tests carried out have shown, that the contents of tar products and empyreumatic oils in the tobacco smoke substantialy influence the reception by the respiratory organs of the nicotine, remain ing in the tobacco smoke, and presumably of the other noxious ingredients also. Although the exactness of these tests which necessarily must be carried out on the smoker himself naturaly is limited only, it has been proved beyond any doubt, that with an equal content of nicotine in the smoke (about 0.3% of the weight of the tobacco) and. a reduction of the contents of the tar products and empyreumatic oils to less than half, the nicotine content of the smoke breathed out has been found to amount to about double that which is breathed out when the smoke contains the entire content of the tar products and the empyreumatic oils. Presumably mixing or the resorption of the nicotine by the tar products occurs which biologically would absolutely be comprehensible.

On the basis of adsorption measurements it has further been ascertained, that for the use of an active silica gel as an adsorption agent for smoke, the size of the grain of the gel employed is of considerable influence and this not in a manner only as the general influence of the size of a grain of an adsorbent for the adsorption of gases and vapors, but in quite a definite direction. A grain size (ascertained by counting the particles and measurement of their volume) has been proved to be suitable which, calculated to the cube, has a length of the edge of 0.50 to 2 mm. With smaller grain sizes caking of the individual particles occurs, whereas with larger grain sizes the silica gel-insertion becomes loose. In both cases the adsorption of the smoke ingredients is unfavorably influenced. The water content of the gel used is of importance with regard to influencing the taste of the smoke by the active silica gel. Therefore, the water content of the gel should at least be 3% and preferably amount to 10% of the weight of the gel. When sprinkled with water, the gel should not crumble. For the use of silica gel in tobacco pipes, the gel may either be enclosed in an insertion which is arranged in the path of the smoke in a manner similar to that in connection with cigar andcigarette holders respectively, or the gel is formed in a single piece and dried, whereupon this preferably perforated piece of gel is inserted into the bowl of a pipe. The gel may also with caution be incorporated in clay and burnt, and insertions for the bowl of the pipe may be made in this manner which correspond to the well known clay insertions,-but have with regard to the latter advantages which are evident from a study of the above statements.

What I claim is:

1. A composition of matter for removing poison from tobacco smoke and for improving the latter and arranged inthe smoke channels of cigars, cigarettes, pipes, pi'pe bowls, cigar and cigarette holders and the like, comprising an insert composed of a mixture of different types of active granular silica gels, the moist heats of the individual gel types present in the mixture lying between 14 caL/g. and 20 cal./g. with respect to water.

2. A composition of matter according to claim 1, in which each active silica gel has a water content of 3% to 10% of its weight,

3. A composition of matter according to claim 1, in which the silica gels have a grain size possessing an edge length of 0.50 to 2 mm. calculated to the cube.

4. A composition of matter according to claim 1, in which a base material of clay is provided in which the silica gels are incorporated.

5. A composition of matter for removing poison from tobacco smoke and for improving the latter and arranged in the smoke channels of cigars, cigarettes, pipes, pipe bowls, cigar and cigarette holders and the like, comprising an insert composed of a mixture of different types of active granular silica gels, the moist heats of the individual gel types present in the mixture lying between 14 and 24 cal./ with respect to water and having a water content of 3 to 10% of the weight of the mixture.

6. A composition of matter according to claim 5, in which the silica gels have a grain size possessing an edge length of 0.50 to 2 mm. calculated to the cube.

7. A composition of matter for removing poison from tobacco smoke and for improving the latter and arranged in the smoke channels of cigars, cigarettes, pipes, pipe bowls, cigar and cigarette holders and the like, comprising an insert com- 

